📋 Tender Overview
The objective of the international event was to exchange, deepen and learn about the experiences underway in Ecuador and the Amazon region on the different initiatives and good practices for implementing actions to prevent, monitor, combat and suppress forest fires.
Between June 16 and 19, 2024, in the city of Cuenca in Ecuador, the regional mobilization event of forest firefighters was held with the participation of more than 500 attendees from fire departments from Ecuador and delegates from Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Chile and ACTO (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization). The event was held in collaboration with the USAID Cooperation, the Cuenca Fire Department and the National Secretariat for Risk Management, together with the AMAZONÍA+ regional Program, financed by the European Union and executed by the AICS- Italian Cooperation Agency for Development, from FIIAPP- International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies and Expertise France.
The objective of the international event was to exchange, deepen and learn about the experiences underway in Ecuador and the Amazon region on the different initiatives and good practices for implementing actions to prevent, monitor, combat and suppress forest fires. In addition, some emblematic initiatives focused on the involvement of indigenous populations and local communities were presented.
During the event it was possible to organize spaces for theoretical exchanges between the participating countries (Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Chile), through specific presentations of the national context of each one and also technical panels that have allowed us to learn more about the challenges. current and future, as well as the strengths and bottlenecks of national and regional initiatives in the Amazon region. Additionally, among the scheduled activities, there was a visit to the forest fire brigade camp and on the last day, joint exercises and simulations of interventions in forest fire fighting operations were carried out between the different representatives of the participating countries.
Among the commitments agreed with the regional program financed by the EU, AMAZONÍA+, USAID and the participants, we can mention the development of a roadmap that allows scheduling upcoming joint spaces at the international level, which includes training courses on topics related to management. comprehensive fire management (e.g. prescribed burning, brigade formation, international qualifications), identification of local, national and regional actions that can be designed jointly with countries at a cross-border level and finally the availability of interest on the part of the participants to continue working synergistically and through networks of actors.
"We are very happy with how this regional event for the mobilization of forest firefighters was carried out, this shows that joint work between international cooperation, local authorities and native communities can give optimal results," said María Luisa Alfaro, Regional Program Coordinator. USAID BHA Disaster Assistance Program.
For Cap. Sixto Heras, from the Cuenca Fire Department in Ecuador, “the regional mobilization event has been very successful in terms of allowing the renewal of the articulation and link between neighboring countries that has lasted for 24 years. This has strengthened future collaborations in the fight against forest fires, and we are very grateful to USAID, the European Union and the city of Cuenca."
